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Recycle Lebanon

CLIMAS_Admin — Tue, 26 May 2020 19:30:31 +0000

Thursday, March 19, 2020

In the summer of 2017, a young woman living in Beirut remarked to me, “People are used to going around the government to achieve what needs to get done. People are resilient, resourceful, and fed up.” This sentiment is common among those I work with in Lebanon as daily life is structured by intersecting issues of environmental and infrastructural degradation, perceptions of instability, and government ineptitude. Since the civil war ended in the 1990s, the government has struggled to provide basic infrastructures like 24-hour electricity, waste management, or public transportation and, like most places around the world, continually mismanages environmental resources from their forests to their coasts. As an anthropologist, however, I work to understand how these issues of infrastructure and the environment intersect with people’s resilience and resourcefulness, leading them to create alternatives to increase wellbeing for themselves, their communities, and the planet.

I have long been interested in how people practice environmental politics and have been studying and researching in Lebanon since 2012. As a doctoral student in sociocultural anthropology, I wanted to study infrastructure as a way of better understanding how environmental degradation and everyday service provision influence how people develop their political ideologies and practices. For my dissertation research, I study how decentralized networks (people who are not part of state or traditional civil society groups) come together to practice infrastructural politics to demand alternatives to environmental and infrastructural degradation and institute new forms of environmental and social wellbeing.

One of these organizations is Recycle Lebanon, founded by Joslin Kehdy, who have become crucial community partners in this research. Recycle Lebanon is a social change and circular economy hub focusing on data visualisation, access to circular living and local alternatives for waste reduction, education, and prevention and legislation to raise national awareness, connect, and empower individuals to drive collective action. They originally emerged in response to the garbage crisis in 2015, dealing with the environmental fall-out from inadequate waste treatment and management. Most recently, popular uprisings against the government, new austerity measures, and a deepening economic crisis (among several other connected issues) beginning in October 2019 has created new needs that Recycle Lebanon and their networks are responding to. These include helping coordinate massive volunteer clean-ups and recycling initiatives of “revolutionary waste” from the protest sites and feeding roughly 200 people a day from a zero waste kitchen in Martyrs Square as a form of mutual aid and solidary building.

I began working with Recycle Lebanon as a volunteer last summer, helping with their data project called “Regenerate Lebanon,” which I will be working on during the CLIMAS fellowship, and beyond. Regenerate Lebanon is an open-source online platform visualizing local environmental and infrastructural issues and connecting people to solutions. Using qualitative and quantitative methods we’ve amassed datasets on the solid waste supply chain in Lebanon along with several other growing datasets to help visualize both the current issues and solutions. This platform emerged in response to crucial questions: How can I make Lebanon better? What can I do? Who’s already doing what, where, and how can we visualise these solutions for collective action? Lebanon has solutions for many environmental and resources problems and there are an abundance of initiatives working towards the sustainable development of the country. With the launch of “Regenerate Lebanon” it will be easier to understand the activities and initiatives available to get involved in on an individual and collective level. We need to first understand what is being done and how others can contribute and innovate from the foundation of sustainable actions already in place.

Photo Credit: Recycle Lebanon.

Photo Captions:

Temporary infrastructures created in Martyrs Square, including solar panels for electricity, water tanks, and tents to house conversations and workspace for protestors in Beirut.
Enjoying lunch from the Regenerate Lebanon zero waste kitchen.
Protestors gather together to collect and sort waste.
A snap-shot of the Regenerate Lebanon platform.

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Responsibility of an Apsáalookbia (Crow Woman) to the protection of Apsáalooke bilé (Crow Water)

CLIMAS_Admin — Tue, 26 May 2020 19:30:31 +0000

Thursday, March 19, 2020

I was raised by an Apsáalooke/Crow matriarch who also came from strong, independent Apsáalookbia/Crow women. Apsáalooke people are a matrilineal and, traditionally, an egalitarian society. It is innately known that we have three mothers: the earth, our homes, and our birth mothers. We are taught that we must respect all three mothers and do what we must so that they stay protected. Our mothers are our first teachers and have taught us much of what we know as Apsáalooke people. We were taught the stories of Hisshiishduwiia/Red Woman, the Chíilapsahpua/Seven Sacred Big Horn Rams, rock medicine, and old man coyote stories. In particular, it was the stories of Hisshiishduwiia/Red Woman and the seven sacred rams that struck a distinct chord with me. Both of these stories remind me of the inherent responsibility I have to protect all that has provided. I know that I only play a small role in protecting but I hope that role has a much larger impact than I can imagine.

It is said that when the last duck succeeded by bring mud to the water’s surface that Iichiikbaalia/First Maker created the earth and Biluke/Our side (referring to strictly Crow people) from those ground materials. After land was created, it was the feminine power who brought about the lifeline that it was Hisshiishduwiia/Red Woman who created waterways. Apsáalooke elder, George Reed, states, “Red Woman appeared and pulled out her root digger and started scratching the earth and made the springs, creeks, and rivers. As the water flowed from the riparian areas, plants started to grow. Red Woman said . . . ‘If you are sick take the roots of the plants and eat and you will be healed’”(Bull Chief 2016). It was the might and doings of Red Woman that allowed water to flow in the land that we live on. It is now the duty of Awakkulé/Little People, because they “make sure that the rivers flow and the grass grows . . . [and] they take care of the Crows” (Grant Bulltail 2018).

Photo 1. Location where I was raised and favorite swimming spot along the Little Bighorn River on the Crow Reservation. Courtesy: JoRee LaFrance (2019)

It is our duty, as Apsáalooke people, to pray for and give gifts to Awakkulé and to protect the land that we are merely borrowing from our children. We are also reminded of the time when Uuwaatisaash/Big Metal was saved by the Chíilapsahpua/Seven Sacred Big Horn Rams, and he was eventually raised among them. Uuwaatisaash/Big Metal became a prominent leader amongst Apsáalooke people, and we were taught that the rivers that flow through our home must always be named after the sacred seven rams. These rivers represent our identity as Apsáalooke, and our ancestors have taught as various ways that we must take care for the river. We are told to feed the river our finest meats when the cotton first falls, to jump in the freezing water after a sweat lodge ceremony, and to always respect water and Bimmuummaalakoolé/water beings that make their own in our shared waters. I believe that the water is reflection of who we are because our sole identity as Apsáalooke people depends on this very life-source.

As a result of broken promised and inhumane federal policies, the Crow Reservation which is home to the various bands that make up Apsáalooke people decreased to a fractional size of 2.5 million square acres. Gratefully, we still live along the Big Horn and Little Bighorn Rivers and we have water rights to surface and groundwaters to sustain our people. I grew up along the Little Bighorn River and that flowing water is all I have ever known. We still rely on this river for domestic, municipal, tribal, individual, cultural, and spiritual uses. We still have the teachings of our ancestors and our language is still spoken. We are teachers, lawyers, scientists, health professionals, ranchers, descendants, caretakers, and the future of Apsáalooke people. I believe that is our time to act and to draw on our teachings to ensure our security as strong, resourceful, and thriving people.

Photo 2. Yellowtail Dam Reservoir also known as the Big Horn River Canyon. Near the location of where the seven sacred rams saved Big Metal. Courtesy: JoRee LaFrance (2019)

As I have acknowledged my role as a contemporary Apsáalookbia/Crow woman, I have found a way to braid my understandings of this world into a practical skillset that can provide my own efforts in protecting this way of being. With modern technology, I have been afforded the opportunity to take a closer look at the molecular level of what is happening in our water systems. As a second year PhD student in the University of Arizona Department of Environmental Sciences, I am researching surface water quality within the Little Bighorn River watershed. I aim to understand the impact on contaminant behaviors from the various water flows within the Little Bighorn River. The changing water flow occurs as a result of the changing seasons such as high flows in June when the snow is melted in the mountains, or the lowest flow of water in the winter when water is being stored in the ground and in snow-packs. I am working to identify contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, and perfluoroalkyl substances better known as PFAS. These contaminants come from a variety of sources such as natural elements, mining activities, intense agricultural development, water treatment discharge points, and man-made products. I have taken it upon myself to determine what contaminants are elevated in the Little Bighorn River to have a better understanding of its long-lasting impacts. I want to ensure that my people will always have access to clean, healthy water systems and that Bimmuummaalakoolé/water beings are always protected and respected Ultimately, I strive to support my tribe in their own efforts in setting their own water quality standards on the basis of cultural practices. This can be done under the Clean Water Act when a tribe is granted treatment-as-state status from the United State Environmental Protection Agency. This is absolutely crucial in the future of the quantity and quality of water on the Crow Reservation, home to Apsáalooke people.

Photo 3. During my first sampling campaign in the Little Bighorn River back in December 2019. Courtesy: JoRee LaFrance (2019)

As the seventh generation from Chief Pretty Eagle, the last principal chief of Apsáalooke people, it is my duty to do all that I can in order to protect the advancement and survivance of my people. It is the old stories and teachings that have informed the work that I do. As an Apsáalookbia/Crow woman, I take the teachings and independence from strong women like my mother, grandmothers, Biáwacheeitchish/women chiefs, and Hisshiishduwiia/Red Woman. If it had not been for the support, love, and teachings I have been fortunate to know such as those that come from Hisshiishduwiia/Red Woman and the Chíilapsahpua/Seven Sacred Big Horn Rams, I would not know where I would be. If it had not been for my family and people, I would not be where I am today. There is nothing more honorable than to have the opportunity to learn technical and professional skills to protect a being of water that has always provided for my ancestors, myself, and our future children. I know that the work that I do is much bigger than I am. I am forever grateful to be Apsáalooke and to come from our home. When my work inspires others to believe more in themselves that is when I know that I am fulfilling my purpose. My dream is that all Apsáalooke people can, unapologetically, be themselves and that I inspire the next generation of Apsáalooke scientists.

Photo 4. Descendants of Chief Pretty Eagle along the banks of the Little Bighorn River. I am pictured with my grandfather, Joe Whiteclay, and my nephew. This is a four-generation photo. Courtesy: JoRee LaFrance (2019)

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What feeds you? An exploration of resilience, sense of place, and food

CLIMAS_Admin — Tue, 26 May 2020 19:30:31 +0000

Thursday, March 19, 2020

This question has followed me around my entire life. Who and what contributes to my healing, development, growth? Literally, physically, romantically, academically, environmentally; what gives me strength?

Growing up Jain, I was taught critical appreciation and curiosity about the natural world through the lenses of food and non-human connection. I also grew up in an affluent New Jersey suburb where I had easy access to hiking trails, farmer’s markets, and my Nani’s cooking in Queens. My family, queerness, privileges, religion, experiences with whiteness, and more all contribute to my sense of place.

I ask this question to other Queer, Trans, Two-Spirit, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (QT2SBIPOC) because we are not often given the space we need to deeply consider our relationships to environment and healing. For me, there is a lot that keeps me going in the wake of environmental catastrophe, personal hardship, and activist burnout. But, it boils down to sharing meaningful food with meaningful people.

However, many folks do not have positive relationships to environment because of the disproportionate and systemic harms that are placed onto them, specifically Black and Indigenous communities. So what does relationship to environment look like when your rivers are polluted, when you have to grapple with the history of lynching in your forests, when your community’s treaties are not followed, when you do not see yourself represented in the mainstream media? What keeps you going? What feeds you?

I want you to take five minutes and deeply think about the question. What are you favorite recipes? What part of the world do they come from; who grows and harvests the ingredients? Is it easy to find where you currently live? Is it expensive? Do you know how to cook it or is it a dish that only your grandparent can create and that you dream of? Is it harder to find because of drought? Have climate change exacerbated wildfires made it difficult to share this meal with loved ones? How have histories and realities of imperialism, colonialism, and slavery impacted this dish and your connection to it?

Food is inextricably linked to nature, culture, and community; and all three of those things have the incredible potential to feed us and to harm us. Through the Environment and Society Fellowship, I have the opportunity to explore these ideas with four environmental justice communities in Arizona and develop a cookbook to highlight how food and sense of place feed communities and build resiliency in the face of pollution, climate change, and injustice. Stay tuned and email me at kpalawat@email.arizona.edu if you want to know about upcoming recipe tasting events!

Figure 1. Photograph of part of Kunal's extended family. Kunal is pictured second from the right in a black t-shirt.

Figure 2. Photograph of Kunal eating a meal in Tucson, AZ.

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The World is My Oyster

CLIMAS_Admin — Tue, 26 May 2020 19:30:31 +0000

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Over the past eight years, I have lived in five different states as I have been pursuing my dream of becoming an environmental microbiology and water quality research scientist.

As a native Floridian, I ventured to Michigan during my undergraduate degree and became interested in molecular genetics research. I focused on confocal microscopy analysis of tau protein in fruit flies to better understand potential drivers of Alzheimer’s disease and was a collegiate soccer player. After I graduated, I moved to rural Colorado to serve a term with AmeriCorps and work in a county public health office as a tobacco specialist. I provided math and literacy intervention to students in grades K-12 and ran an after-school program. While working in the county public health office, I was influential in changing the tobacco policy in the school district. I realized the importance of public health and headed to Louisiana for my MSPH.

It was during my time at Tulane University that I was introduced to microbial water quality and food safety. I began my research in the field with an evaluation of coliphage as a fecal indicator at recreational sites on Lake Pontchartrain to assess human health risk. My projects transitioned to an analysis of Vibrio spp. in oyster harvesting waters in Southeastern Louisiana. My masters work left me with a heightened interested in environmental drivers of water quality, Vibrio spp., oysters, and health.

In 2018, I started my PhD studying Environmental Health Science with a focus on microbial water quality and quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) through the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. The interconnectedness of microbial water quality and human health from my MSPH research intrigued me to the point of taking the next step. The primary focus of my dissertation is to expand scientific knowledge of the interactions between shellfish, microbial water quality, environmental factors, and public health. Globally, there is no consensus on the interactions between oysters, Vibrio, and environmental parameters and I am leading a study to represent this state using GIS and comprehensive literature review. The current FDA policies on oyster harvesting are based off Atlantic Oysters from studies performed on the East and Gulf Coasts. Therefore, I will target my oyster research in Southern California, a geographic area increasing oyster production but with limited health risk information from Vibrio spp. I will identify implications for human health by coupling oyster research in Southern Californian estuaries and in simulated marine environments with QMRA using qPCR, FDA culture-based methods, and statistical analysis to evaluate the prevalence and persistence of pathogenic Vibrio from oysters harvested in Southern California. My laboratory findings will influence a QMRA model and assess regulatory standards.

This work is a collaboration with Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP). The collaboration between the University of Arizona and SCCWRP provides a platform for groundbreaking Vibrio research on the West Coast and the ability to influence current oyster harvesting policy in Southern California. I will use my research to evaluate existing policy to reduce human health risk from exposure to pathogenic Vibrio. The opportunity to impact the community was influential in my choice to pursue a PhD in Environmental Health Science.

I hope to use the culmination of environmental health, ecology, microbiology, and risk assessment skills and knowledge to have a career focused on microbial water quality and human health. I hope my career allows the opportunity to continue to do research with microbial pathogens.

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CLIMAS_Admin's blog

Recycle Lebanon

Fellow, Climate Assessment for the Southwest

Responsibility of an Apsáalookbia (Crow Woman) to the protection of Apsáalooke bilé (Crow Water)

Fellow, Climate Assessment for the Southwest

What feeds you? An exploration of resilience, sense of place, and food

Fellow, Climate Assessment for the Southwest

The World is My Oyster

Fellow, Climate Assessment for the Southwest